John David Washington on starring in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman

I caught up with the brilliant John David Washington, (star of HBO’s Ballers and son of Pauletta & Denzel Washington) ahead of the UK release of his new film BlacKkKlansman on 24th August.

Directed by Spike Lee, the film tells the true story of Ron Stallworth, the first African American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The young detective soon recruits his colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream. Jordan Peele and Jason Blum (the team behind the Academy-Award winning Get Out) serve as producers, creating the ultimate dream team.

This interview was so much fun – JDW was fun of energy as we talked about working with Spike, what he hopes audiences will take away from the film as well as *that* Today interview (do not play with Ms Pauletta – #momslivesmatter). Enjoy!